1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to a display apparatus and a method of preventing image burn-in thereof, and more specifically, to a display apparatus which performs an eliminating operation of image burn-in using an OSD (on-screen display) function and a method of preventing the image burn-in thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) has generally been used as a display apparatus. However, the CRT has some problems in that it is heavy, thick, and consumes too much power. Recently, the CRT has been replaced with an FPD (Flat Panel Display). An LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel or a PDP (Plasma Display Panel) is mainly employed as the flat display panel, which displays an image.
When such a PDP or LCD, which is widely employed as a computer monitor or television, is used as a computer monitor, still images are frequently displayed for a long period of time. Likewise, even when the PDP or LCD is used as a television, still images, such as a screen shot for screen adjustment, are also displayed for a long period of time.
However, the PDP and LCD have a problem in that when still images are displayed for a long period of time thereon, image burn-in is induced by the still images. For example, regarding the PDP, if still images are displayed for a long period of time, phosphors in barrier ribs of cells become worn out, and thus image burn-in occurs between a bright side and a dark side of the PDP. In addition, regarding the LCD, a response to a video signal is not very rapid, and thus image burn-in of previous still images remains while the still images are replaced by other images. Image burn-in reduces an image quality of the PDP or LCD, which may give rise to complaints from consumers.
Thus, various conventional methods have been proposed to reduce the image burn-in mentioned above in display apparatuses, such as LCD, PDP, etc.
For example, there is a conventional method for reducing image burn-in by scrolling the image toward an upper, lower, left and/or right side of the display apparatus after a period set by the user elapses, and thus an image displayed in each pixel unit is changed. In addition, a conventional method to reduce image burn-in, for example, by decreasing a gain of a signal using an operation sensor, has been proposed.
However, the conventional methods mentioned above, which reduce image burn-in by periodically scrolling a screen, cannot effectively prevent the image burn-in due to a time delay between a first scroll and a second scroll, and can inconvenience users since the screen is muted for a while during the time period of the scroll.
In addition, the conventional methods, which prevent image burn-in by shifting a screen, can prevent the image burn-in by a signal located on a border line. However, there is a problem that when the still images are maintained on only a partial region, image burn-in cannot effectively be prevented with respect to the partial region. In addition, the conventional method of preventing the image burn-in using a sensor needs a separate sensor circuit, and may decrease brightness due to an operation recognition error of the sensor when a user does not approach the display apparatus.